Matthew Alan Thyer's Blog, page 61

Climate Engineering

Can we alter the climate? Man on bike in the smog in Harbin, China (LA Times)

We’ve heard all the reasons not to engineer Earth’s climate. Of these I think my favorite is the idea that man simply does not have what it takes to change things significantly. When I hear or read this excuse for not addressing climate change directly I get to chuckle. It is also probably the single most common admission that a person is failing to pay attention to their surroundings. And, ultimately, it makes anyon...

Rat Bastard

My Name is Not Earl, but it Could Be

What? What the hell is this? Now I don’t know what to think. What is karma trying to tell me? Yesterday I wrote about being a rat bastard. You guys responded with the most hits I’ve seen since I rescued Jim Nee from a ledge on a cliff.

Seriously, I’ve got to hope the bump in traffic was due to everyone clicking through to check out Michael Bunker‘s books because it was not a shining moment in my life. That, and opportunities to do good, and I mean really goo...

Word Choice or White Lie: The Daddy Thesaurus

Aral Napping behind the Bike

My three year old son is down for his required daily afternoon snooze. As much as he hates it, he needs it. And so much of my day is focused on transition him to this nap. Lots of play time in the morning. Then tapper the activity until about two o’clock in the afternoon when I get him to chose between his bed and mine.

As anyone who has spent lots of time with a growing toddler knows, they pick up on patterns very quickly. And Aral can be obstinate if you back him...

Karma

Karma can be a Bitch

Some years ago I bought a Kindle book that I was less than happy with. It was, from a literary standpoint, well written. But the opinions expressed by the author were difficult for me to digest. It was an off grid survival book enriched with lots of Bible quotes.

I know I can sometimes get carried away by my own prejudice. Add a little anger to that cocktail and things quickly get out of hand. And in this case I felt like I had spent my money on something that was far less...

Advanced Reader Copy: The Big Red Buckle

NOTE: 12/15/2013 I’m closing down the open ARC for this book. We’re days away from cover art and final processing for the manuscript. So if you are still interested in the book and did not send me a request, you’ll need to wait just a bit and buy yours via Amazon.

Come one, come all. I’m not giving away my book, but I am sending out a limited number of Advanced Reader Copies of The Big Red Buckle. This is a great story, and I’m hoping to generate some interest out in the wide world of readers,...

Learning Curve of Self-Publishing

Self-Celebrating Self-Publication

Since the beginning of December I have been running up the increasingly steep learning curve of self-publishing. I’ve completed several versions of my manuscript working on copy-editing for the specific media outlet where I want it to appear. Additionally, there is the formidable and expensive work necessary for registering my work in all the appropriate locations.

If you have read past the first paragraph and are still interested than you have probably found a...